Pet waste disposal assembly and method

ABSTRACT

An assembly adapted to facilitate the disposing and treating of a biodegradable material that produces an unpleasant odor when it is watered and stirred and fragmented. The assembly includes a container and a fitting for accepting and retaining the insertive coupler of a standard garden hose. In addition, a pressure nozzle is in fluid communication with the fitting for receiving water from the fitting and expressing the water under pressure. Finally, a nozzle-retaining apparatus is oriented so that the water expressed from the nozzle is directed into the container at an angle adapted to produce a stirring motion within the container.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/253,554 which was filed Sep. 24, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,880.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pet waste, or more specifically, pet fecal matter, is a problem and anever-increasing one. Exposure to pet waste, in its worst case, can causeminor ill health and numerous, sometimes serious diseases. The offensiveodor of pet waste alone makes it more than a mere nuisance. Disposing ofpet waste in a manner that is both responsible and economical requires asolution.

Today, the generally accepted method of disposal of pet waste,particularly in high-density or urban areas, is to wrap pet waste inplastic and deposit it in a municipal garbage can. This practicehowever, can pose health hazards. In some population areas, pet ownersare required to dispose of pet waste in a manner so as to avoid posing ahealth hazard. Trash Haulers and Recycling Technicians are of particularconcern. As the value of recycling increases, and as trash and recyclingcompanies continue to increase the number of people hired to separaterecyclable products from general rubbish, the concern for health inthese areas will continue to grow as well. Also, a growing number ofunauthorized individuals—the homeless, for example—who sift throughtrash cans looking to recover valuable items can also be exposed to thistype of health hazard.

It should be understood that canine waste specifically is the primaryconcern due to the nature of its content, predominantly meat productswhich are particularly offensive in decaying form, and due to the sheervolume of material produced collectively by large numbers of dogs. Petwaste, in all of its forms from all types of pets, however, is ofsimilar concern.

As with large municipal sewage treatment plants, the addition of waterto facilitate and accelerate the breakdown is quite necessary. Theprocess of mixing pet waste with water, and the churning actionnecessary to accelerate the breakdown of the combined material, however,can quickly produce offensive, noxious, and sometimes overwhelmingodors. It can be a very unpleasant task for a user to remain near thepet waste as this process is taking place.

Stationary devices that treat waste eventually fill up past the point atwhich they remain effective. There are several reasons they do so: 1)they contain an over-abundance of non-biodegradable material, such asrocks, twigs, etc. that is added inadvertently, and 2) the residue ofdecayed mass accumulates past the point at which the soil cansufficiently absorb additional material. The end result requires theuser to either remove the contents manually or abandon the unit andacquire another for the same purpose. The options are time-consuming andcostly.

There exist today several pet waste disposal systems that allow thetreatment of pet waste by the pet owners or pet caregivers. Of those,some incorporate the soil to bury pet waste and utilize the naturalbreakdown and decay process(es) found in common soil. Those same systemsadvocate the addition of chemicals to assist the decay process. Only onerecommends the addition of water but does not give the operator aconvenient way to do so, nor does it allow the advantage of doing sofrom a sufficient distance away from the unit so as to avoid offensiveodors. None use the force of water as a means to churn, mix, andfragment waste.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first preferred aspect, the present invention is a method ofdisposing of biodegradable material and of rejuvenating a patch of soil.To begin, a tube is provided that has a diameter between 10 cm and 10meters. A hole is dug and the tube is placed, upright, in the hole, sothat a little of the tube protrudes above the top of the hole.Biodegradable matter, such as pet waste, is placed in the tube andpermitted to decompose. Finally, the tube is withdrawn from the holeleaving the decomposed material behind in the hole.

In a second separate aspect the present invention is an assembly adaptedto facilitate the disposing and treating of a biodegradable materialthat produces an unpleasant odor when it is watered and stirred andfragmented. The assembly includes a container and a fitting foraccepting and retaining the insertive coupler of a standard garden hose.In addition, a pressure nozzle is in fluid communication with thefitting for receiving water from the fitting and expressing the waterunder pressure. Finally, a nozzle-retaining apparatus is oriented sothat the water expressed from the nozzle is directed into the containerat an angle adapted to produce a stirring motion within the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a pet waste disposal assemblyaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nozzle illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded isometric view of an alternative preferredembodiment of the present invention, having a round body, a detachablelid, and a water introduction system centrally mounted in the lid.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the pet waste disposal assemblyof FIG. 1, partially buried in the ground in an idle state.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the pet waste disposal assemblyof FIG. 1, partially buried in the ground and showing the watering andstirring of the pet waste.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the pet waste disposal assemblyof FIG. 1, being pulled from the ground.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded isometric view of an additional alternativeembodiment of a pet waste disposal assembly according to the presentinvention, having a water introduction located within the body, in aclosed, non-operational state.

FIG. 8 shows an exploded isometric cut away view of the pet wastedisposal assembly shown in FIG. 7 with the lid off, showing the waterintroduction system running longitudinally along the body of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 a preferred embodiment of the petwaste treatment assembly 10 includes a body 12 that is in the form of atube, having a top opening 18 and a bottom opening 20. A lid 14 isattached to body 12 by a hinge 30. A standard garden hose receptivefitting 22 (FIG. 5) permits the attachment of a standard garden hose 50.In turn, fitting 22 is attached to a length of tubing 24, which isattached to a nozzle 26. In another preferred embodiment, the tubing 24may be incorporated and integrated into the lid 14 of the unitsufficient to render the piping assembly and the lid as one piece inwhole. As shown in FIG. 4, body 12 may be partially buried in the ground70 and partially filled with pet waste 60.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 2, nozzle 26 has a first section 27having a first diameter D₁ and a second section 28 having a seconddiameter D₂. Water speeds up through section D₂, as water must flowthrough section 28 at the same rate that it flows through section 27,requiring a higher rate of travel due to the smaller area available forfluid flow.

In order to facilitate the biological decomposition of the pet waste 60it is advisable to periodically water and stir the pet waste 60.Unfortunately, this has heretofore been an unpleasant task for a humanoperator to perform, because this process produces an unpleasant odor.Using the assembly 10, however, an operator may attach the insertivecoupler of a garden hose 50 to fitting 22 while lid 14 is closed. Theoperator may then open the lid, thereby positioning and orienting nozzle26 so that it is directed at the waste 60. At this point the operatormay add a chemical catalyst onto pet waste 60 to facilitate itsdecomposition.

After moving away from assembly 10 and to a faucet (not shown) to whichthe receptive coupler of the garden hose 50 is attached, the operatoractuates the faucet, causing a water jet stream 36 to shoot from nozzle26, thereby churning the waste 60 and creating a pool of water 40 andliquefied pet waste. Once the water 40 reaches a sufficient levelwithout overflowing the unit, the faucet is turned off and the watergradually seeps through the pet waste and leaches through the bottomopening 20 and into the soil/earth 70 thereby continuing to facilitatethe natural decay process of the pet waste 60. The operator may thenwait until the unpleasant odor has abated before venturing to theassembly 10 to shut lid 14.

Skilled persons will recognize that the method described abovesuccessfully addresses the treatment of pet waste using water, the forceof water, and organic activity as the means by which pet waste issuccessfully treated and ecologically disposed of, and does so in mannerwhich allows pet owners to manage this process onsite, thereby avoidingmunicipal garbage systems altogether.

The importance of water as a medium to facilitate the break down of petwaste is paramount to successful treatment. In the method describedabove, the addition of water helps to: fragment large pieces of waste;loosen waste material to maximize the effectiveness of microbes todigest the material; aid in the even distribution of chemicals added inaddition to water; and transport and distribute waste material in liquidform into the surrounding soil. A great advantage of this method is thatit permits the operator to maintain the waste treatment assembly in onelocation for a comparatively long period of time. Without the frequentaddition of water and chemicals, because the decomposition would not beaccelerated, it would be necessary for the operator to move the assemblymuch more frequently.

After a period of use, body 12 may become almost entirely filled withpet waste 60. At this point, handles 16 may be used to pull body 12 outof the ground 72, leaving behind pet waste 60 and detritus, such assmall twigs and leaves that are typically inadvertently collectedtogether with pet waste. At this point the pet waste and the detritushave mixed together and have largely decomposed. The waste may now becovered with soil and allowed to further decompose, thereby providing arich subsurface.

Referring to FIG. 3, an alternative preferred embodiment 110 has a body112 in the form of a round tube, a shape that is generally lessexpensive to produce. A round lid 114 is fitted to body 112 by way of aset of diagonal, matching tabs 134, on body 112 and lid 114. A hosecoupler receiving fitting 122 is oriented in tandem with tubing 124 andnozzle 126 so that water may be injected when the lid 114 is closed. Oneadvantage of this embodiment is that the lid need not be raised inpreparation for or after watering and stirring the pet waste.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in an additional alternative preferredembodiment, water is injected into the assembly 210 by way of a set ofside nozzles 226 from a tube 224 extending along the interior side of atubular body 212. Although a receptive fitting 222 for attachment of astandard garden hose is shown in the interior of body 212, in a variantof this embodiment, the fitting 222 extends through an aperture in theside of 212 so that a garden hose may be connected to it while the lid214 is shut. In another embodiment, the piping assembly 224 may beincorporated and integrated into the body of the unit 212 sufficient torender the piping assembly and the body as one piece in whole. Also, inthe embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, the absence of a fitting, such asfitting 122, at the center of lid 214 permits a handle 238 to be placedat this spot, to facilitate the rotation of lid 214, during opening andclosing assembly 210.

Assembly 10, 110 and 210 are all preferably made of a tough polymericmaterial, such as that currently used for polymeric or plastic trashcans.

Although the preceding description contains many specificities, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but asmerely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferredembodiments of this invention. For example, the lid retention means canbe a chain, a rope, a locking mechanism in the hinge, etc.; the materialof the invention can be plastic, metal, or some other lightweight rigidmaterial; the hose attachment means can be either screw on or clamp on;the body can have other shapes, such as round, square, oval, triangular,etc.; the length and diameter of the body can vary significantly; theinvention can operate in either the open or closed position, etc. Thusthe scope of the invention should be determined by the append claims andtheir legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

1. A method of disposing and treating non-human animal waste,comprising: (a) providing an assembly having: (i) a container; (ii) ablockable source of pressurized water, being originally in a blockedstate and wherein said source may be unblocked at a first distance fromsaid container so that an unpleasant odor emitted from said containerwill not substantially reach a person located at a said first distance;(iii) a pressure nozzle in fluid communication with said blockablesource of pressurized water for receiving water from said blockablesource of pressurized water and expressing said water under pressure;and (iv) a nozzle-retaining apparatus oriented so that said waterexpressed from said nozzle is directed into said container so as toproduce a stirring motion within said container; (b) placing saidnon-human animal waste into said container; and (c) unblocking saidblockable source of pressurized water to cause water to flow out saidnozzle, thereby watering and stirring said non-human animal waste whileremaining at a distance far enough away from said container to avoid theunpleasant odor that is emitted from said container by virtue of saidwatering and stirring, said waste remaining in said container duringsaid operation and being treated by said watering and stirring andremaining in said container after said operation to biologicallydecompose.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said nozzle-retainingapparatus is adjustable so that said nozzle may be moved into positionfor storage purposes between instances of nozzle use.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said container is a tube partially buried in the groundand being open at its top and bottom.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinsaid tube is a circular tube.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein saidassembly further includes a tightly fitting lid for said container. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein said assembly further includes at leastone additional pressure nozzle, in fluid communication with saidblackable source of pressurized water.
 7. The method of claim 1 whereinsaid lockable source of pressurized water is a standard garden hoseattached to a faucet.